Directed by Akira Kurosawa

The first Japanese film director to be known worldwide, Akira Kurosawa was an artist and an intellectual. Whereas other well-known Japanese filmmakers such as Ozu and Mizoguchi focus on human relations and nature, Kurosawa's more stylistic approach often encompasses exquisite action and battle scenes, as his masterpieces The Seven Samurai and Ra... show more >

The first Japanese film director to be known worldwide, Akira Kurosawa was an artist and an intellectual. Whereas other well-known Japanese filmmakers such as Ozu and Mizoguchi focus on human relations and nature, Kurosawa's more stylistic approach often encompasses exquisite action and battle scenes, as his masterpieces The Seven Samurai and Ran prove. Ikiru, a heartwarming tale of a dying man's redemption, demonstrates that Kurosawa was equally at home when filming humanity. Known as the Emperor on set for his dictatorial directorial style, Kurosawa was a perfectionist who went to pain staking lengths to achieve his desired visual effect. In Ran, an entire castle set was constructed on the slopes of Mt. Fuji only to be burned to the ground in a climactic scene. Other stories include demanding a stream be made to run in the opposite direction, and having the roof of a house removed, later to be replaced, because he felt the its presence to be unattractive in a short sequence filmed from a train. Over 6 decades, Kurosawa made 30 outstanding films. < show less